“Since Vatican 2 the
Roman Catholic Church has been encouraging Catholics to live the
fullness of the Christian life without expecting priests, religious or
anyone else to do it for them. That implies creativity as well
as responsibility on the part of lay people to come up with structures
that will enable them to live the contemplative dimensions of the Gospel
without a cloister”.

Open Mind Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel (Continuum: New York, 2004)

“Right now there are about two billion Christians on the planet. If
a significant portion of them were to embrace the contemplative
dimension of the Gospel, the emerging global society would experience a
powerful surge towards enduring peace. If this contemplative dimension of the Christian religion is not presented, the Gospel is not being adequately preached.”

The Contemplative Outreach logo
is taken from the monogram of Job’s Redeemer, which is the symbol of
patient waiting. It depicts the alpha and omega, a symbol of God, the
beginning and the end. The cross in the centre a symbol of our
salvation, flowers, a symbol of the abundance of life and the
Resurrection; and a circle, a sign of ongoing process.